June is Pride Month - a month dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ communities all around the world.

And this year, Pride is having a special celebration as it is 50 years old.

Pride is celebrated in the month of June, as that was the month when the Stonewall riots took place.

The Stonewall riots were important protests that took place in 1969 in the US, that changed gay rights for a lot of people in America and around the world.

Pride is a celebration of people coming together in love and friendship, to show how far LGBTQ+ rights have come, and how in some places there's still work to be done.

LGBT+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. The + is an inclusive symbol to mean 'and others' to include people of all identities.

Pride month is about acceptance, equality, celebrating the work of LGBTQ+ people, education in LGBTQ+ history and raising awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

It also calls for people to remember how damaging homophobia was and still can be.

Pride is all about being proud of who you are no matter who you love.

To read a personal blog from one of our own people about what Pride means to them visit our LIFE sharepoint site

 

Research that shows LGBTQ+ people experience greater levels of mental health problems, so how can the workplace better support the LGBTQ+ community's mental health & wellbeing?

You can learn more about the power of inclusive workplaces via Stonewall "we imagine a world where all LGBTQ+ people are free to be themselves and can live their lives to the full. Inclusive workplaces have a huge part to play in this making this world a reality. But inclusion is not a given.  

The best employers understand why all their employees should feel welcome, respected and represented at work. They know that inclusion drives better individual, business and organisational outcomes. And they believe that staff must be able to bring their whole selves to work. Because when LGBTQ+ employees feel free to be themselves, everybody benefits." https://www.stonewall.org.uk/power-inclusive-workplaces

 

 

Further reading:

The following extract is from the Mental Health Foundation: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/news/mental-health-foundation-joins-call-acts-allyship-all-lgbt-people

"For example, before the pandemic LGBTQ+ people were already at higher risk for poor mental health, but young LGBT+ people, trans people and BAME LGBT+ people reported particularly high rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation.  

The mental health consequences of the pandemic are expected to be acute across society, but may be that much more severe among LGBT+ people, particularly those at additional risk.  

There is evidence that some young LGBTQ+ people have been forced back into family homes where they have experienced homophobic treatment. Some will have been living with unaccepting family prior to lockdown, but will not have had the same access to their normal sources of support. 

LGBT+ people in later life are less likely to have children and more likely to live alone. The resultant isolation is an additional risk factor for poor mental health during and after the lockdown period.  

And it has been documented that BAME communities are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and dying from it, placing LGBT+ BAME communities at even greater risk as well. 

To address these inequalities we are called to action. And allyship can lay the foundation for us to begin to redress the unequal circumstances that give rise to these divergent health outcomes. 

Allyship can take many forms, some of which have been highlighted by the #YouMeUsWe campaign.  

But the practice of allyship also relies on listening to those most affected by marginalisation, and acting according to what they say they need.  

As an organisation we commit to practice allyship accordingly. In our workplaces, we want them to be a safe space for everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. In our work, we want LGBT+ people leading innovations and solutions for LGBT+ people, based on the principles of co-production.

At MHF we have over a decade of experience facilitating peer-support for the improvement of mental health. The reflective and intentional practice of allyship is an opportunity to expand our notion of who are our peers, and dissolve distinctions of ‘us’ and ‘them’ to which we might subscribe, however unconsciously. 

As an evidence-led, public mental health charity, we know that being kind to others can be good for your mental health. When we reach out to offer support to others, we often feel more connected, less isolated and generally happier. In this way, allyship is a contribution to ourselves as well as a contribution to others, and our society as a whole. "

 

Further reading about Pride Month and from the mental Health chairity Mind https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-stories/why-im-going-to-pride-with-mind/

MindOut is a mental health service run by and for lesbians, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer people.

We work to improve the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQ communities and to make mental health a community concern.

We welcome all LGBTQ people and those who may not identify as LGBTQ including men who have sex with men, women who have sex with women, intersex people, people who previously identified as trans and people who are questioning their sexual and/or gender identities. If in doubt, please do contact us.

https://mindout.org.uk/